Ethics - Mature Online Content
Milwaukee School of Engineering
CS-409 Paper I
Mature Online Gaming
Arthur Weborg
Dr. Thomas
April 7th, 2013
Content from the porn industry is being broadcast to the everyday internet user, with nobody and often times nothing to protect the innocence of a curious minor (kid). However, whose responsibility is it to keep the content out of the hands of a minor? Is it the parent? There are far too many sights for any one person to sift through. Is it the individuals who are trying to express themselves through game content or game development? They are just trying to make a living. How about the consumer, the one who plays these games online? It only takes “mature games” in a search engine with two clicks of a button to access a vast quantity of content intended for “adult eyes only.” So, what can be done to allow a guardian to restrict access to a minor? Access to “Adult Only” online gaming currently has no boundaries; in a world of cybertechnology, policies and regulation through domain registrars and web-hosts need to become existent so parents and filtering programs can take proper action. First, let’s analyze the situation and determine the risks in terms of rights, benefits, and harms. Let’s break it down into two categories, minors and adults. In the above scenario let us assume that all minors belong to a given guardian (Example: a child belonging to a parent). The adult consists of guardians, consumers, and producers in relation to adult only content. The minor’s rights are up to the discretion of their guardian until a coming of age; with the exception of that they have a right to be free from abuse and harm. Guardian’s rights include; being able to raise and guide a minor as they see fit. Consumers rights are to privacy, freedom of expression, and unregulated access to desired games. In common practice for video games there is a group known as the ESRB that have established a system for rating
CS-409 Paper I
Mature Online Gaming
Arthur Weborg
Dr. Thomas
April 7th, 2013
Content from the porn industry is being broadcast to the everyday internet user, with nobody and often times nothing to protect the innocence of a curious minor (kid). However, whose responsibility is it to keep the content out of the hands of a minor? Is it the parent? There are far too many sights for any one person to sift through. Is it the individuals who are trying to express themselves through game content or game development? They are just trying to make a living. How about the consumer, the one who plays these games online? It only takes “mature games” in a search engine with two clicks of a button to access a vast quantity of content intended for “adult eyes only.” So, what can be done to allow a guardian to restrict access to a minor? Access to “Adult Only” online gaming currently has no boundaries; in a world of cybertechnology, policies and regulation through domain registrars and web-hosts need to become existent so parents and filtering programs can take proper action. First, let’s analyze the situation and determine the risks in terms of rights, benefits, and harms. Let’s break it down into two categories, minors and adults. In the above scenario let us assume that all minors belong to a given guardian (Example: a child belonging to a parent). The adult consists of guardians, consumers, and producers in relation to adult only content. The minor’s rights are up to the discretion of their guardian until a coming of age; with the exception of that they have a right to be free from abuse and harm. Guardian’s rights include; being able to raise and guide a minor as they see fit. Consumers rights are to privacy, freedom of expression, and unregulated access to desired games. In common practice for video games there is a group known as the ESRB that have established a system for rating